Category: Releases

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Will Baker Drops Fantastic Single, “Eddie”

Eora/Sydney-based singer-songwriter Will Baker has just released his impressive new track “Eddie.” It’s got such an accessible pop-rock sound with some really quality lyrics exploring the way our relationships with people can evolve over time.

“’Eddie’ is about watching people you grow up with turn into people that they said they would never be,” Will explained. “I wrote this song one night with my drummer Giac. We were in love with it straight away. Was a super easy process and a song that the whole band looks forward to playing every gig. I remember wanting to write a song about one of my mates who was going down a bad path.”

The music video, which Will directed with Harry Corcoran, was inspired by classic music of the 1970s.

“The music video was nuts. The theme was very rock n roll which we all bought into very well. First time I’ve ever worn makeup as well,” Will laughed. “Loved every second of the shoot day.”

If the quality of this song is any indication, we’ve got some exciting music from Will to look forward to in 2024.

Photo credit: Conor Sprague

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

GRAACE Stuns With “Her” Ahead of EP Release

After impressing me with upbeat numbers, GRAACE is stripping things back with her latest single “Her.” It’s a vulnerable ballad about the challenging feelings that can surface when your ex moves on.

“After a breakup, it’s common to feel the need to check in on your ex as they move on, eventually realising you’ve been replaced,” she said. “Comparing yourself to their new partner, you might view them through rose-tinted glasses, leading to a mix of jealousy, self-doubt, and infatuation. Unsure if you’re jealous, aspire to be like her, or desire to be with her, this universal experience often results in becoming more invested in her than your ex”.

“Her” comes from GRAACE’s new EP afterimage, which drops on August 16. She explained the EP’s concept, noting “Just as an afterimage is the lingering impression of an object seen after closing your eyes, afterimage captures the essence of carrying past relationships into new experiences, incorporating the lessons, heartbreak, and love from those encounters”. Fresh from supporting The Dreggs, she’ll play a string of headlining shows in the capitals to promote its release.

16 August 2024 – Northcote Social Club, Naarm/Melbourne
17 August 2024 – Black Bear Lodge, Meeanjin/Brisbane
24 August 2024 – Lansdowne Hotel, Eora/Sydney
30 August 2024 – Jive, Tarntanya/Adelaide
31 August 2024 – Milk Bar, Boorloo/Perth

Image used with permission from Sony Music Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Britney Spears and Beethoven Come Together For Chutney’s “Toxic Moonlight”

I don’t care what you’ve been listening to today; I can confidently say that “Toxic Moonlight,” the latest track from Eora/Sydney-based klezmer punk collective Chutney will be the most surprising thing today. It might even be the most brilliant. The song combines Britney Spears’ pop anthem “Toxic” with Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata,” and it’s actually fantastic. It doesn’t end there though. The band brings together these seemingly disparate elements with their trademark Eastern European and Middle Eastern flair. And then we’ve got vocals from Ilan Kidron of The Potbelleez on top of that. It’s off the wall, but somehow it works!

“It was 2021 and we had a gig lined up with Ilan,” shared Chutney violinist Ben Adler. “We were in a reprieve between COVID lockdowns so we’d developed a certain nihilism that, in retrospect, was highly conducive to unfettered creativity. I was talking with Ilan about songs he’d like to sing with us, and he observed that the string riff in Toxic sounds “really klezmer” – we only discovered years later that it’s actually a Bollywood sample! Anyway, Ilan’s suggestion was all I needed to klezmer-ify Britney’s song. Something about its darkness and (toxic) romance then led me to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, especially after I realised that importing Beethoven’s descending bassline might open up a whole new set of possibilities for the otherwise pretty harmonically static ‘Toxic’ verses. I sketched up a chart and we tweaked it in rehearsal, at a gig and in the studio into its present form”.

“I was always really impressed with Mark Ronson’s version, and although Toxic had been covered plenty of times, I knew Chutney would translate it really daringly and originally,” Ilan added. “They have an unashamed ability to bend the rules; but somehow it works. This version plays between a dark oceanic void and a western bar fight. There is emotional drama and a dance between tension and release that I love here.”
Take a listen to this. I know it’s going to blow your mind. Chutney will continue bending the rules when they release their next album Ajar on August 6.

Photo credit: Max Goodman

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Layer Cake Impress With “Help”

I’m a sucker for beautiful harmonies. And that’s exactly what Meeanjin/Brisbane band Layer Cake are serving up with their tasty new indie-pop single “Help.”

“‘Help’ speaks for itself,” the band said in a press statement. “It’s a cry of relief, a musical sigh of acknowledging that it’s okay not to be okay. Sometimes, when you’re feeling trapped, the easiest way to cope is to pour your heart out in a song.”

I love all the twists and turns this one takes. It reminds me of those classic songs of the 70s that switch things up before they take you to their ultimately satisfying conclusion.

Press play and enjoy this one. It’s a little trippy, but what a ride!

Image used with permission from Layer Cake

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Baeden Faint Releases Powerful New Single “Overthinking”

If you’ve ever struggled to switch off and move on like I have, you’re going to connect with Baeden Faint’s new single “Overthinking.” I love those honest rapid-fire lyrics and how they sit against the rhythm of the banjo and electric guitar.

“It reflects on how it seemed all my relationships were going at the time, and I was adamant that this time was going to be different,” Baeden explained. “In the early days the song had more of a tone of desperation, but a little while down the track, Brad [Ashton, guitarist] sat out the front of my grandparent’s house and strummed a few chords, which led to a rethinking in a slightly more positive light.”

Baeden will support Fanny Lumsden as she makes her way to the Big Red Bash with a show at Cobar Bowling & Golf Club on July 6.

Image used with permission from Wildheart Publicity

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

harper Wows Me With “37”

UK-born, Eora/Sydney based producer/multi-instrumentalist/singer-songwriter/all-round talent harper has put a spring in my step with his latest single “37.” This is one of those alt-pop-rock that just feels so good. That super-catchy melody is wrapped around some insightful lyrics about the indecision that can leave you paralysed when you need to keep moving forward.

“37’ is me realising that putting myself first isn’t such a bad idea,” harper revealed. “It’s as close and vulnerable as it is big-picture and pondering. I ask a lot of questions in the lyrics, which is a mirror of my headspace both at the time and in my life in general. I love to embrace the hypothetical and the ‘what-if?’, because that’s just the way I think things through and figure out what I truly want.”

With four singles already under his belt, harper says releasing “37” marks a new chapter in his musical journey.

“I feel that I’m finally coming into my own as an artist, and am realising what the purest and most-distilled form of my art is. Everything I’m putting out from now on is going to be transparent and unapologetically me, because I believe the only way to truly connect with anyone listening to my music is for them to feel they know me. How can I allow them to do that without knowing myself in the first place?”

If this track is a sign of what’s to come from harper, I can’t wait to hear what’s next.

Image used with permission from Crowd Favourite

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Have a Taste of Sweet Talk’s “Real Good Cookin'”

After a successful run of shows with Texas’ own Charlie Crockett and appearances at Riverboats Music Festival and Bluesfest, Naarm/Melbourne six-piece Sweet Talk headed back to the studio. The result is their delicious new single “Real Good Cookin’”. It might be brand new to us, but it’s actually the first song created for this project.

“I remember writing the riff when Dave and I lived together in Fitzroy many moons ago,” explained guitarist Soren Walker. “I was listening to a lot of Skynard at the time the idea of a band was only beginning to germinate, but when Dave and I started fleshing this track out, we knew we were onto something hot.”

“We were actually calling it ‘Southern Fried Chicken’ for the first little while, and it was the first riff we started working on as a song before Sweet Talk was a fully formed idea,” added fellow guitarist Dave Turner.

Sweet Talk are building a reputation as one of the best acts on the live circuit. Whitlams’ frontman Tim Freedman said they were an “absolute stand out” at Tamworth and Bluesfest, noting their set was “pure musical lift off with charisma and earthy grunt.” So make sure you see them at one of their upcoming shows, including dates with Tim’s Black Stump Duo, if you possibly can.

24 & 25 August 2024 – Gympie Muster, Kabi Kabi Country/Amamoor Creek
6 September 2024 – Echuca Paramount Theatre, Yorta Yorta Country/Echuca (with Black Stump Duo)
7 September 2024 – Frankston Arts Centre, Kulin Country/Frankston (with Black Stump Duo)
12 October 2024 – Out on the Weekend @ Seaworks Maritime Precinct, Yalukit-willam Country/Williamstown
18-20 October 2024 – Groundwater Country Music Festival, Yugambeh Country/Broadbeach

Image used with permission from Wildheart Publicity

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Piper Butcher Goes From Strength to Strength With “Turn the Key”

She captivated the nation on last year’s series of Australian Idol, but those of us from Mulubinba/Newcastle knew that local talent Piper Butcher wasn’t going to fade from view once the cameras stopped rolling. The impressive singer-songwriter has just released a brand new single “Turn the Key,” and it’s really something special.

“The tale pulls from the suspenseful feelings of wanting to know a person more than a friend and finding a way to break the ice and be together,” she explained.

Piper will play the following shows in her home state in the coming months:

4-6 October 2024 – Dashville Skyline @ Murlan Noakes Shipyard, Mookaboola/Woolwich
16 November 2024 – CHIEFEST 24 @ Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mulubinba/Newcastle

Image used with permission from Kick Push PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Younger Than Me Drop Exquisite Single, “With Every Heartbeat”

Eora/Sydney duo Younger than Me have given me goosebumps with their latest single “With Every Heartbeat.” To call it beautiful doesn’t even begin to cover it. Their stunning harmonies, creativity, and talent shine through in technicolour. Take a moment to stop what you’re doing, block the rest of the world out, and just listen. I promise you that you won’t want to miss a detail.

“With Every Heartbeat” comes with a gorgeous music video shot on 16mm film in southern lutruwita/Tasmania by the super-talented video artist and cinematographer Ursula Woods.

“Ursula is based in one of those corners of the world that is almost too magical to exist,” the duo said. “We woke up each morning to the sound of water lapping under the converted boat shed that we slept in, and spent the day frolicking outside and making shapes together in the landscape. It embodied everything we tried to create through sound in the track, and it could not have been more perfect.”

Younger Than Me are working towards releasing a debut album. With every single release so strong, you can beat it’ll be something special.

Photo credit: Marcus Coblyn

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Vanessa Lawless Releases Feminine Anthem “La Loba”

Vanessa Lawless celebrates the wild feminine spirit with her latest single “La Loba.” The title translates to the she-wolf and takes inspiration from the book “Women Who Run With the Wolves.”

“‘La Loba’ declares the unleashing of the wild feminine spirit that’s been suppressed and misunderstood throughout time, encouraging total raw expression and the reawakening of our hidden selves,” Vanessa explained.

I love the way this one sounds. It’s got such a primal core which brings something new to the pop genre. I also appreciate that the lyrics deliver feminine power that comes from deep within. We’re so used to women declaring they’re powerful because they don’t need a man or because they’ve risen to the top. This one doesn’t measure a woman’s worth against her relationships or achievements. She’s powerful simply because she is.

Vanessa Lawless shows she’s a real force with this release. I can’t wait to hear what comes next.

Photo credit: Star Sarasvati